Method of assembling roof panel structure



Nov. 9, 1965 F. VECCHIARELLI METHOD OF ASSEMBLING ROOF PANEL STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1962 INVENTOR. HQAA/C/s VECCH/ARELL/ AGE/U7 Nov. 9, 1965 F. VECCHIARELLI 3,216,102

METHOD OF ASSEMBLING ROOF PANEL STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 19, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F134. /Z5 o i? F VIIIIII77IIII|IIIJ INVENTOR. FkAA/c/s VECHIA RELL/ AGE/VT United States Patent 3,216,102 METHOD OF ASSEMBLING ROOF PANEL STRUCTURE Francis Vecchiarelli, River Edge, N.J., assignor, by rnesne assignments, to Alcan Aluminum Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 174,215 2 Claims. (Cl. 29433) The present invention relates to a method of assembling roof panel structures of edge-connected strips of rollformed sheet metal, for use on patio covers, carports, awnings, and the like, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of assembling roof structure of the class described, which is sealed at the joints so as to provide a water-tight construction that will not leak in the rain.

One form of sheet metal roof construction in widespread use at this time owing to its versatility, attractive appearance, and low cost, is made up of roll-formed strips of prepainted sheet metal, such as aluminum or galvanized steel, in which the strips are assembled edgeto-edge, with their adjacent edges interlocked. The said strips are typically about 6 /2 inches in width, and are roll-formed with a plurality of slightly arched steps spaced apart transversely across the width thereof, which give the strip the appearance of being made up of several narrower strips assembled so that each has one edge overlapping the subjacent strip. The two longitudinal edges of the strip are curled in opposite directions to form generally cylindrical beads of about one quarter inch diameter, each of which is incompletely closed so that there is a slight gap where the bead approaches the side of the strip, to permit the bead of one strip to be slidably inserted into the bead of an adjacent strip. Thus, the strips are edge-connected by virtue of the interconnected beads, and a roof panel of any desired width can be assembled by connecting an appropriate number of strips together.

One disadvantage of this form of roof panel construction, as heretofore assembled, is that it leaks badly in the rain, with the result that persons or furniture sheltered under such panels may become thoroughly soaked in a heavy rain. Another disadvantage is that the strips have a tendency to rattle, or vibrate, in the wind, which is extremely objectionable. The present invention overcomes both of these objections, and produces a roof panel strucutre which is watertight and free of rattling or vibration noises.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of assembling edge-connected strips with a tubular seal of resilient elastomeric material contained within the interjoined beads and compressed slightly thereby, so that all clearances between the two strips along the line of their edge connection are closed by the snug fitting seal.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method for drawing a tubular seal of elastomeric material through the concentric pairs of interjoined edge beads of adjacent pairs of such panels, so as to produce a sealed joint which is still capable of articulation, while 3,216,102 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 "ice simultaneously sizing the beads to the correct inside diameter and also removing any indentations in the beads.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, looking downwardly on a portion of a roof panel structure formed of edge-connected strips and having the tubular seal of the invention enclosed within the joints;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1, showing a tubular sealing member enclosed within the articulated hinge formed by a pair of concentrically disposed, interconnected beads along the adjoining longitudinal edges of two connected panel sections;

FIGURE 3 is another sectional view similar to FIG- URE 2, showing the angle to which the panels are bent in order to open up the gap in the joint through which the tool is drawn;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the tool used to pull the tubular seal of elastomeric material lengthwise through the joint formed by two interconnected edge beads of adjoining panel members;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, partially sectioned view, showing one end of the tool in FIGURE 4, hooked through the wall of the tubular seal;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view, showing the tubular seal being drawn through the joint; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the tubular seal installed in the joint.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates a portion of roof panel structure of the type with which the present invention is concerned, comprising a plurality of roll-formed strips 11 of prepainted sheet metal, which are disposed side by side and connected together along their longitudinal edges to form a continuous panel of any desired width. The roof panel 10 may be mounted on any suitable frame or supporting structure (not shown), and is used primarily for patio covers, carports, awnings, and the like.

Each of the strips 11 is formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending ridges, or bends 12, that are spaced apart equidistantly across the width of the strip and give the appearance of a series of low steps. These steps give the strips a pleasing appearance, somewhat resembling clapboard, and at the same time impart structural stiffness to enable the roof panel to span a considerable distance between supports without appreciable sag.

The two longitudinal edges of each strip are curled in opposite directions to form edge beads 14 and 16, each of which is generally cylindrical in configuration, but is incompletely closed, leaving a gap 19 between the free edge of the bead and the adjacent side of the strip. The beads 14 and 16 are preferably about inch in outside diameter, and the gap 19 is approximately to inch across. As best shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, bead 16 is curled downwardly, while bead 14 is curled upwardly, and when bead 14 of one strip is aligned with bead 16 of the next adjoining strip, the two strips can be slidably engaged with their respective beads 14 and 16 telescopically interjoined. The process is repeated until a sufiicient number of strips 11 have been connected together along their longitudinal edges to form a roof panel of the desired width. The roof panel is then fastened in any suitable manner to the supporting frame structure (not shown), to complete the patio cover, carport, or the like.

As mentioned earlier, one of the drawbacks of the roof panel construction described up to this point is that the joints formed by the interlocked beads 14 and 16 are loose fitting and have considerable clearance; hence, they leak badly in the rain, and also tend to clatter in the wind. Both of these objectionable tendencies are eliminated in the present invention by installing a tubular seal 20 of neoprene or other elastomeric material within the joint, as shown in FIGURE 2. The tubular seal 20 is slightly larger in outside diameter than the inside diameter defined by the interjoined'beads 14 and 16, and therefore tends to bulge outwardly wherever it is not confined by the beads. This outwardly bulging tendency of the seal 20 causes it to press against the exposed inner surfaces of the beads 14 and 16, thereby closing the clearances and making the joint watertight. The tubular seal 20 has a central cavity, or bore 21, extending along its entire length, and this central bore gives the seal a soft, resilient character, enabling it to be flattened or compressed, so that the seal can accommodate itself to any irregularities in the beads.

The tubular seal 20 is assembled in the beads 14, 16 by means of a tool 25 which consists of a sizing ball, or knob 26, a generally rigid, axially elongated hook 28 projecting centrally from one end of the knob, and a somewhat flexible draw wire, or line 30, formed of piano wire or the like, extending in the opposite direction from the hook, with the free end thereof having a finger loop 32, or other form of handle. The overall shape of the knob 26 is not critical, as long as it is characterized by a maximum contact perimeter which is essentially circular in cross section, and of a diameter equal to the correct inside diameter of the cylindrical opening formed by the beads 14 and 16, or even slightly larger than the said inside diameter, so as to allow for spring-back of the sheet metal beads after the knob has passed. Thus, when the knob 26 is moved lengthwise through the concentric edge beads, the innermost head 16 is pressed outwardly to form a smooth, accurately sized, continuous cylindrical shape. Beyond this, the knob 26 may be spherical, semispherical, or otherwise tapered longitudinally in either direction from the annular perimeter. The function of the knob as it is drawn through the concentric pair of essentially cylindrical edge heads is two-fold; (1) it expands the bead 16 outwardly against the surrounding bead 14, thereby sizing the cylindrical opening to the correct inside diameter, in the event that it is slightly undersized; and (2) it irons out indentations or deformations of the inner bead so as to enable a following tubular seal 20 to be drawn through the concentrically surrounding beads relatively easily.

To install the tubular-seal 20 in the joint formed by the concentric beads 14 and 16, the hook 28 is inserted into the central cavity 21 at one end of a length of tubing 20, and the sidewall thereof is pierced by the pointed end 34 of the hook, as shown in FIGURE 5. One of the panels 11' is then turned up at angle to its adjacent panel 11, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 6, which exposes the aligned gaps 19 of the two concentric beads 14 and 16. The draw wire 30 is laid down into the central opening enclosed by the beads 14, 16, through its gap 19, and is then pulled lengthwise of the panels 11, causing the knob 26 and end of the tubing 20 to enter the central opening of the beads at the end thereof, as in FIGURE 6. The tool 25 and attached tubing 20 are pulled along the en tire length of the panels 11, with the finger loop 32 held closely adjacent the beads 14, 16, as shown, so that the pull on the tool is substantially parallel to the central opening of the beads.

When engaged in the end of the tubing 20, the hook 28, 34 and tubing 20 are of approximately the same dimension as the knob 26, and therefore they can be easily drawn through any bead or aperture through which the knob 26 has passed. The soft, lubber-like tubing 20 is easily compressed, or squeezed down by any restriction, and also tends to stretch under tension, which has the elfect of reducing the diameter of the tubing. As a result, the tubing is easily capable of being drawn into the central opening of the beads 14, 16, even though the tubing is normally slightly larger in outside diameter than the diameter of the opening. When the tension of the tool 25 is released, the tubing relaxes and expands to its normal diameter, thereby filling the opening completely to seal the joint. At the same time, the resilient packing of the beads 14, 16, by the tubing takes up the clearances between the beads and also acts to damp out vibration in the panels. As a result, the roof panel 10 is much quieter in a high wind or when rain is pelting down on it, than when assembled without the sealing tube 20.

When the tool 25 has been completely drawn through the length of the hinge bead from one end to the other, and then emerges still connected to the tube 20, the projecting end of the tube can be severed with shears or knife edgeflush with the panel edges 17, 18; and similarly the portion of the tube protruding from the far end of the hinge bead can likewise be cut off. Thus a large spool of such tubing (not shown) can be used to supply tubular seals of any desired length for on-the-job assembly, and large-area covers or screens can be quickly and easily constructed. The size of the assembled stretch of panels is of course determined by the number of panels and their length.

The tool 25 of the present invention may also be used to repair the edge beads of individual panels which may have accidentally become deformed or indented in transcylindrical shape.

It will be noted from FIGURE 2 that after installing the tube 20 and laying the panel 11' back down so that it is flat with respect to the adjacent panel 11, the elastorneric tube 20 is completely enclosed within the composite hinge cylinder, the gap 19 having been closed. The tubular seal 20 permits adjacent panels along this hinge joint to be articulated when the assembly is not secured to a supporting structure, and in addition to its caulking and noise-suppressing functions, also increases the rigidity of the composite structure.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the shape and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the broad scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of assembling a water-tight roof panel structure of edge-connected strips, wherein each of said strips is formed along its opposed longitudinal edges with oppositely directed, incompletely closed, generally cylin drical edge beads, the edge bead of one strip being telescopically interjoined with the adjacent edge head of the next adjoining strip, said interjoined edge beads defining a generally cylindrical opening, and said opening being snugly filled with a tubular seal of elastomeric material, said method comprising the steps of: (1) connecting said strips together without said tubular seal by slidably joining the edge beads of one strip with the adjacent edge beads of the next adjoining strips; (2) swinging one of said strips up from the adjoining strip to an angle such that the gaps of the interjoined, incompletely closed edge beads are aligned; (3) hooking a draw tool into one end of said tubular seal; (4) laying said draw tool sideways into said cylindrical opening through said aligned gaps adjacent one end of said strips; (5) pulling said draw tool lengthwise of said strips through said aligned gaps, thereby drawing said tubular seal endwise into said cylindrical opening; and (6) swinging said one strip back down flat with respect to said adjoining strip, thereby closing said aligned gaps and leaving said tubular seal totally enclosed within said interjoined beads.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said tool includes a sizing knob of diameter such that said cylindrical 0pening is correctly sized and any dents or other imperfections in said beads are ironed out just ahead of said tubular seal as said seal is drawn into said cylindrical opening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain.

WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

15 JACOB SHAPIRO, Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A WATER-TIGHT ROOF PANEL STRUCTURE OF EDGE-CONNECTED STRIPS, WHEREIN EACH OF SAID STRIPS IS FORMED ALONG ITS OPPOSED LONGITUDINAL EDGES WITH OPPOSITELY DIRECTED, INCOMPLETELY CLOSED, GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL EDGE BEADS, THE EDGE BEAD OF ONE STRIP BEING TELESCOPICALLY INTERJOINED WITH THE ADJACENT EDGE BEAD OF THE NEXT ADJOINING STRIP, SAID INTERJOINED EDGE BEADS DEFINING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL OPENING, AND SAID OPENING BEING SNUGLY FILLED WITH A TUBULAR SEAL OF ELASTOMERIC MATERIAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) CONNECTING SAID STRIPS TOGETHER WITHOUT SAID TUBULAR SEAL BY SLIDABLY JOINING THE EDGE BEADS OF ONE STRIP WITH THE ADJACENT EDGE BEADS OF THE NEXT ADJOINING STRIPS; (2) SWITNING ONE OF SAID STRIPS UP FROM THE ADJOINING STRIP TO AN ANGLE SUCH THAT THE GAPS OF THE INTERJOINED, INCOMPLETELY CLOSED EDGE BEADS ARE ALIGNED; (3) HOOKING A DRAW TOOL INTO ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR SEAL; (4) LAYING SAID DRAW TOOL SIDEWAYS INTO SAID CYLINDRICAL OPENING THROUGH SAID ALIGNED GAPS ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID STRIPS; (5) PULLING SAID DRAW TOOL LENGTHWISE OF SAID STRIPS THROUGH SAID ALIGNED GAPS, THEREBY DRAWING SAID TUBULAR SEAL ENDWISE INTO SAID CYLINDRICAL OPENING; AND (6) SWINGING SAID ONE STRIP BACK DOWN FLAT WITH RESPECT TO EACH ADJONING STRIP, THEREBY CLOSING SAID ALIGNED GAPS AND LEAVING SAID TUBULAR SEAT TOTALLY ENCLOSED WITHIN SAID INTERPOSED BEADS. 